Luis Enrique felt Barcelona’s 3-2 victory over Villarreal in La Liga on Sunday proved that his side’s place in the Copa del Rey final was not a given.
Goals from Neymar, Rafinha and Luis Enrique sealed the Catalans a hard-fought three points against the Yellow Submarine ahead of their rematch in the last four of the cup in a fortnight’s time.
“It was a very positive match except for the goals we conceded. The 0-1 disorientated us and we wasted 10 minutes getting back into the game,” the Coach said after the game.
“[Villarreal] went 18 games unbeaten. We didn’t suffer on the counter when we went one down. We tried to see the game out at 3-2 and didn’t take anything for granted.
“[The result] indicates that we’re prepared to overcome any situation. It happened at the Vicente Calderon the other day and also against a team like Villarreal.
“We had opportunities to close the match. It was a great game and a great example for those who thought that reaching the Copa del Rey final would be easy.
“We know it’ll be very difficult to reach the final. Our opponents have great quality and are good at attacking spaces.
“They have a very good Coach. Whenever they are near our box, it serves as a clear warning for us.”
